Flaggs expresses concerns about growing violence in Vicksburg

Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. spoke on the recent violence in the city Tuesday at the city’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting.

The city recorded its 10th homicide of 2020 last week when 19-year-old A’Treio Markis Richards was murdered Friday, Nov. 6. Flaggs indicated that police were not trained to handle the types of violence seen lately in the city.

“The kind of violence that we are seeing in our community, the kind of shooting, the kind of killing, it cannot go unnoticed,” Flaggs said. “I am not satisfied.”

“You can’t stop a man from killing a man right in his face in front of six people (if) they’re determined to kill,” he added.

The mayor went on to say that the senseless violence he’s seeing now comes from “the absence of love and caring and respect for another human being,” he said, saying he is reaching out to the city’s preachers and the community for their assistance.

The mayor further urged Vicksburg residents to reach out and assist their loved ones.

“If you know you’ve got somebody who needs some mental help or (has) mental challenges, seek help,” Flaggs said. “If you know somebody who is always angry for no reason, seek help.”

“I’m not lecturing, I’m just frustrated,” he added, “… but I believe there’s hope.”

The hope, he indicated, comes from his belief that the community can come together to mitigate the violence.